Continuing the Topps vote off with my two favorite cards

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Luis Durango was so upset about his loss to Justin Upton that he went 0-2 at the plate in today’s spring training battle with the Giants. No one seemed to notice the Napoleon Bonaparte photoshop job on him, either. Too obscure? I’ve always associated the Padres with the French, even though the name is clearly Spanish. Must be their willingness to surrender to much of the league these past few years.

Today’s the final match up of the first round, and these are two of my favorites. I’m surprised I haven’t seen either card featured elsewhere, and if they have please point me to the blog so I can praise that person’s taste.

Thanks for everyone who’s voted, and I hope you are having fun with it. I know I am. On to Round 5…

So if my 2010 Topps set caught on fire and there was only one card I could keep from it (base set only, mind you), this would be it. When I first saw this one, I thought, ‘Wow.’ The colors work beautifully, the curve of his arm matches the curve of the Topps “wave,” and the raking of the infield matches the direction of the play just enough to give the card an almost dynamic look.

Simply put, it’s a beauty of a card.

If there was a second card I could grab, it’d be Andrew McCutchen. He’s the one thing to be jealous of in the Pirates organization, a speedy and outgoing CF who may one day grow into his power and be at least a 20-20 guy for years to come. Or, his power may never fully evolve, in which case he still hits around 10 HR’s a year and steals a whole lot more.

Whatever happens, this card makes me think that McCutchen is making his major league debut and full of the eagerness and excitement that comes with it. And that smile is enough to make me want to follow the guy for the next few years until he inevitably signs with the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, or Cubs. Until then, I’ll root for McCutchen and the Pirates as much as a Reds fan can.

So that’s it for round one. One final match-up. Two stellar cards. Now go ahead and vote.